Proceedings of the International Conference on Biomedical Engineering (ICoBE 2012)

Abstract:

Cooley’s anemia, Mediterranean anemia and
thalassaemia major, all refer to a severe, inherited form of
anemia first described in 1925 by Dr. Thomas Benton Cooley, an
American Pediatrician. There are two types of thalassaemia that
are alpha-thalassaemia and beta-thalassaemia. Their names
describe which part of the hemoglobin molecule that is affected,
the alpha or the beta chain. Any deficiency in these chains causes
abnormalities in the formation, size, and shape of red blood cells
(RBCs). Thalassaemia can cause ineffective production of RBCs
and their destruction. As a result, people with thalassaemia often
have a reduced number of RBCs in the bloodstream that lead to
anemia, which can affect the transportation of oxygen to body
tissues. In addition, thalassaemia can cause RBCs to be smaller
than normal or drop hemoglobin in the RBCs to below-normal
levels. Therefore, all the features are used in order to prove the
disease in screening procedure. This paper critically reviews and
summarizes some of the techniques involved in diagnosis,
treatment and prevention of thalassaemia disease